Newsgroups: rec.arts.int-fiction
Path: gmd.de!xlink.net!howland.reston.ans.net!pipex!uknet!comlab.ox.ac.uk!tr95005
From: tr95005@black.ox.ac.uk (Richard Forster)
Subject: Re: Examine is evil!
Message-ID: <1994Feb21.100712.5964@inca.comlab.ox.ac.uk>
Organization: Oxford University Computing Services, Oxford, U.K.
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References: <CLJzsD.Fux@acsu.buffalo.edu>
Date: 21 Feb 94 10:00:11 GMT
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Phil Goetz (goetz@cs.buffalo.edu) wrote:
:      Interactive fiction should do away with the verb "examine"!


Not all adventure games use examine.  I can remember talking to
Peter Killworth - author of some of the classic Acornsoft/Topologika
adventures such as 'Countdown to Doom' and 'Philosopohers Quest', who
had pretty much the same view.


On the other hand, personally, I'm quite a fan of 'examine', although I'll
agree it's unfair to hide objects in such a way that examine reveals them -
but that's because I feel hiding objects is a copout as a puzzle.  Sometimes
you want to say a lot about a given object, either to give a subtle clue
towards a possible use, or even to add to the atmosphere and humor of the
game.  If you tried to do this with the objects 'short' descriptions, you
could end up with pages full of text when you enter a location.  Alternatively
if you reveal the messages when you take an object (or similar) it makes it
that much more inconvienient for the player to re-read that message.


Richard Forster
